According to Almost Home Kennel Manager Rachel Buchanan, his first owners raised him to be the absolute opposite of a family pet and anything but a good boy.

What they did to Sarge, can accurately described in a song lyric, “He was meaner than a junkyard dog.”

“He was surrendered to us about three years ago,” she said. “They literally raised him as a junkyard dog. He was very aggressive.”

His first adoption didn’t work out so well. In fact, it almost cost him his life.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Jay Simon, of DeWitt, Sarge’s new foster human, gets him fitted for his harness at the Almost Home Animal Shelter. DeWitt is a volunteer foster human working through the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa. He will be working with Sarge to prepare him for adoption to a new home.

“He bit someone,” she said. “He had to be sedated to be brought back. They recommended he be euthanized, but we’re a no kill shelter. We didn’t want to pass judgment. He ended up staying here.”

At first, all they could do was warehouse him.

“The staff was not allowed to open his kennel,” she said. Sarge was already a resident when she started working there.

Then Sarge began responding to her and other volunteers efforts to help him. There was a good dog in there after all.

“We kept seeing progress,” she said. “We kept wanting to help him.”

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen
Sarge watches and sniffs carefully to see which hand the dog treat is in as Polly Denison, at left, president of the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa, passes the tasty morsel to Jay Simon, of DeWitt, Sarge’s new foster human, on the day he was picked up from the Almost Home Animal Shelter. Kennel Manager Rachel Buchanan watches.

One of the volunteers who worked a lot with Sarge was Mike Dolata, of Fort Dodge.

He’s been dedicated to Sarge for quite a while.

“I promised him,” Dolata said. “We’re getting you out.”

Love, kindness and a lot of work paid off.

“He has come a long way,” he said. “This is night and day.”

Sarge did indeed get to leave the shelter. He’s gone into foster care with his very own human., Jay Simon, of DeWitt, who’s a volunteer foster parent with the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa.

Sarge is in good hands.

“I’ve been in the organization for about seven months,” Simon said. “I had shepherds in the past, had them growing up, I’ve always had an affinity for them.”

The first job, once he’s home with Simon is just to relax a bit.

“He gets to decompress,” he said. “Get accustomed to a new setting. We’ll work on in-home manners, improve his home training, work on socializing with other dogs.”

Sarge will get plenty of exercise. Simon said three to four walks a day will be the norm. They will also be going to some training classes.

Everything will be done with one very important added bonus, lots of love.

“Of course,” Simon said.

Simon’s job and goal is to get Sarge ready for a family of his own.

He knows that Sarge may not end up staying, unless.

“Unless he fails fostering,” Simon said. “He might be a keeper. There’s a possibility he might be the dog.”

Polly Denison, of Van Horn, is president of the German Shepherd Dog Rescue of Iowa.

She said their priority for the breed is shelter dogs.

“They don’t do well as shelter dogs,” Denison said. “They’re not as adaptable.”

They have foster families for the dogs all through Iowa and in Illinois.

She was impressed with the work of the Almost Home volunteers and staff.

“That he’s been here this long and is doing this well is a testament to this shelter,” she said. “They have kept him happy. Fort Dodge is lucky to have this.”

She said Sarge will stay at least three weeks with his foster human. They won’t give up on him either.

“Sarge will be with us as long as he needs,” she said.

He won’t be going to just any home either. They’re very careful about placing a dog. Their process includes a background check, home visit and visits prior to the adoption.

Dolata had mixed feelings as he watched Sarge getting ready for his trip to live with Simon.

He knew he would miss Sarge, but he was happy for him, too.

He’s watched Simon and Sarge together before.

“The guy that’s taking him,” Dolata said. “They bonded right away.”

Mr. Simon, Sarge’s forever human. … it does have a nice ring to it.